France 1918 50 centimes

From CoinFactsWiki

This dime-sized coin was struck at Paris during the French Third Republic (1870-1940). It is a common date of a type struck 1897-1920. It is struck without mintmark and is the last type of fifty centimes to be struck in silver. Like all fifty centimes struck after 1864, the fineness was only .835. It was demonetized in 2005 but ceased to circulate in the 1920's.

The catalog[1] notes 27 dates for the type, none rare. The issues of 1897-1900 are witout privy marks, which were added in 1901. The total production for the series was 357 million, compared to 34 million for the preceding "Cérès head" type. Matte proofs were struck in 1897, 1898 and 1900; these are expensive. This date is not the highest mintage but is the most common, the result of hoarding after World War I (1916-20).

Recorded mintage: 36,491,942[1], 36,492,000[2].

Specification: 2.5 g, .835 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, reeded edge. It was designed by Oscar Roty, 1846-1911. La Semeuse, or Sower, was so popular that the design was revived for the ½ franc of the Fifth Republic, struck in nickel 1965-2001.